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This week, Ohio Farm Bureau submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding the agencies’ proposed rewrite of the Waters of the U.S. rule (WOTUS). These changes would significantly expand the land mass regulated by the federal government and would lead to costly and complex permitting requirements that small businesses and farmers aren’t equipped to navigate.

“The definition of WOTUS is critically important to Ohio farmers,” Farm Bureau stated in the letter. “Growing crops and raising animals are water-dependent enterprises. For this reason, farming in Ohio occurs on lands where there is either plentiful rainfall or an adequate water supply available for crop irrigation and animal watering. Across the Ohio agricultural landscape, there are many features that are wet only when it rains and that may be located many miles from the nearest ‘navigable’ water. Ohio farmers regard these features as low spots on farm fields.”

The letter emphasized Ohio Farm Bureau and its members’ disappointment about the agencies’ proposed rule, and reminded how the current Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) was clearly protecting Ohio’s lakes, rivers and streams. 

“It provides Ohio farmers clarity and predictability by establishing clear bright line definitions, clarified the level of government, federal or state, responsible for overseeing water features and dry land that is occasionally wet, excluded ditches and areas where water collects after rain events as well as defined and excluded prior converted cropland as jurisdictional wetlands. The agencies should keep the NWPR in place, rather than revert to definitions of WOTUS that test the limits of federal authority,” the letter said.

Additionally, the comments highlighted how Ohio farmers are taking proactive, voluntary steps to conserve resources and protect water resources by working with local Soil and Water Conservation Districts and NRCS to install conservation practices. The letter also pointed out how clean water regulations must continue to protect farmers’ ability to implement environmentally beneficial projects and conduct routine maintenance on their farms such as installing grass waterways and riparian buffers without the requirement to obtain a permit.

“Clarity and predictability are paramount,” the letter stated. “Farmers need a rule that draws clear lines of jurisdiction that they can understand without hiring consultants and lawyers. To ensure that law-abiding farmers and other landowners can understand and comply with the CWA, any definition of “waters of the United States” must provide clarity and certainty.”

There is still time to submit comments to the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers. The deadline is Feb 7. Learn more about the issue and how to send your comments.

The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Matt Aultman's avatar
Matt Aultman

Darke County Farm Bureau

Giving farmers a voice
The plan we are on is great. It’s comparable to my previous job's plan, and we are a sole proprietor.
Kevin Holy's avatar
Kevin Holy

Geauga County Farm Bureau

Ohio Farm Bureau Health Benefits Plan
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
Gretchan Francis's avatar
Gretchan Francis

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Bringing the farm back to life
We really appreciate what Farm Bureau has done to get people interested in this line of work and workforce development and getting people interested in this industry.
Jody Brown Boyd's avatar
Jody Brown Boyd

Brown's Family Farm Market

Finding farm labor
We work terrifically with the Ashtabula County Farm Bureau, hosting at least one to two outreach town hall events every year to educate new farmers and existing farmers on traditional CAUV and woodlands.
David Thomas's avatar
David Thomas

Ashtabula County Auditor

CAUV: Past, present and future
Because we are younger farmers just starting out, Farm Bureau has a lot of good opportunities and resources to help us grow in the future.
Hannah Kiser's avatar
Hannah Kiser

Sandusky County Farm Bureau

Farm Bureau involvement
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
Chad Ruhl's avatar
Chad Ruhl

Farm manager, CSI Insurance

Select Partner Program
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
Mary Smallsreed's avatar
Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Advocacy
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